ATLANTA — Maikel Franco didn’t make a huge splash in his big-league debut. The 22-year-old third baseman, batting seventh for the Phillies in their 4-0 win over the Braves at Turner Field, had some anxious swings as he grounded out softly in each of his first three plate appearances.

However, the calling up of the organization’s top position-player prospect for September wasn’t for instant gratification. And after falling behind in the count in his fourth plate appearance in the top of the eighth, Franco launched a fly ball to center field to score Darin Ruf with an insurance run.

“There might have been a little anxiousness,” Ryne Sandberg said of Franco’s swings. “That’s understandable. He had a really nice at-bat on the sac fly. He regrouped and battled in the count. He looked very good there.”

When Franco arrived at Turner Field and saw his name on the lineup card, batting seventh, it left him awestruck.

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“That was unbelievable,” the Dominican said. “I’m here and I can see the lineup and that I’m playing at the big-league level. It’s so great. I’m going to try to do the best I can.”

The fact that the only two position players in the last quarter-century to get promoted to the majors at this young an age were Scott Rolen and Jimmy Rollins should say enough about what the organization believes it could see from Franco in the long run.

Before the game, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said that he and Sandberg discussed the plan for Franco.

“We’ve talked about it,” said Amaro, who offered his most glowing praise of Franco for his defensive play at both corner infield spots. “Like any other situation, we make suggestions. He’s the manager, he makes out the lineup. I think Ryno understands player development ... he’s going to make out the lineup the way he thinks it will work best.”

Sandberg, in fact, gave a specific number of at-bats he would like Franco to get in the final month.

“If all things go well, it would be reasonable to have a range of 50 to 60 at-bats,” Sandberg said of Franco, who hit .257 with 16 homers and 78 RBIs at Triple-A, but since July 1 hit .324 with 47 RBIs in 54 games. “It depends on how things go, but I think that would make it worthwhile for him to be here.”

It wasn’t until the final few weeks of August, when Franco got even hotter at the plate, that Amaro decided he had to reward him with a shot in September.

“He really forced our hand,” Amaro said. “He showed us he deserved a chance to go to the next level and we’ll see how he handles it.”

Despite Franco’s arrival, Sandberg said that Cody Asche remains his starting third baseman, but the Phillies undoubtedly have decisions to make if they either want both youngsters on the field, or plan to make a trade to settle the matter during the winter.

As for Tuesday, Franco was in a lineup that also had Ruf in left field and Freddy Galvis at second base, giving Chase Utley a day off as the veteran’s numbers continue to take a steady slide after his hot opening two months of the season. All three players had a hand in supporting Kyle Kendrick, as he worked seven shutout innings as the Phillies followed up Labor Day’s combined no-hitter with another pitching gem against the Braves (72-67), who are seeing their wildcard hopes come under threat as they struggle to score runs.

Ruf continues to thrive when he starts, even though those opportunities haven’t been coming often. He smoked an RBI single in the sixth and had another hit in the eighth to help along that two-run rally.

“He’s been consistent in that role,” Sandberg said of Ruf, who is batting .344 with a 1.050 OPS in his 15 starts. “He sat for some games then had a quality game. It’s impressive.”

Carlos Ruiz got the Phillies on the board first with a solo shot off Mike Minor in the fifth. The veteran catcher also delivered an RBI double in the eighth.

Kendrick, meanwhile, got out of a jam in the first, the big moment coming when he struck out Evan Gattis with the bases loaded one out. He allowed just two hits and a walk from there and had just his second scoreless outing in 28 starts this season.

“That was his best game by far,” Sandberg said. “Pitching out of the first inning was big. There was some stress there ... even with a little bit of a tight strike zone.”

“He’s pretty aggressive,” Kendrick said of Gattis. “I’m trying to get ahead, but I don’t want to miss over the plate ... I was able to get in a groove. It was a nice win.”

After Kendrick’s night was complete, the right-handed had little trouble making his way through Atlanta’s inept order. Ken Giles and Antonio Bastardo worked the last two innings, striking out five of the six batters they faced.

Remember, this came against a team that had been no-hit the day before. Hours before the game, the rain was falling steadily at Turner Field, yet the Braves were out there, taking batting practice. So it was a team desperate to stop the hemorrhaging.

“After what happened yesterday I was sure they were going to come out and be aggressive,” Kendrick said. “I made some quality pitches, some guys made good plays (in the field).”